


The Last Hunt

by jumble_of_fandoms



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, I just like to torture myself it seems, I sure as shit know this isn't going to happen, I'm so sorry, My idea of 10.14, hurt/angst, mild Destiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 09:32:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3376562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jumble_of_fandoms/pseuds/jumble_of_fandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean gets the Blade back and faces off against Cain. Cas arrives and does his best to stop Cain, but what happens when he fails? It will be up to Dean to stop the mad man before he can do even more damage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> With the promo of 10.14, everyone seems to be throwing in something; this is just my two cents. We all know this isn't going to actually happen? Right?? Aha, hahah....

Cas grunts as his world comes back into focus. His face scrunches as he blinks, trying to focus on something other than the pounding in his head. Groaning, he tries to sit up without the world spinning before him, and he tries to remember what the hell is going on. Looking around, he sees the barn behind him and suddenly remembers what he is doing.

_“You think you can stop me?”_

_“I have to try.”_

Cas grabs onto a piece of wood from the pile next to him and pulls himself into a standing position. _Cain…_ He looks around again, searching for the man he was trying to stop. The sound of a crash makes him whip his head around, looking for the source.

_Cas, please, I can’t hold him off…_

“Dean?” Another crash, couple with the sound of broken glass. “DEAN!”

The world still threatening to spin away, Cas makes his way into the barn, and finds himself in the middle of a battle between to Knights of Hell. He watches, helplessly as Cain throws Dean against another wall, the Blade flinging out of Dean’s hand. He raises his hand and tries to push it away from Cain with his Grace, but he himself is thrown against another wall and held in place.

“You think I didn’t notice you, Angel?” Cain says, not even bothering to turn and look at Cas. “Even with your diminishing, stolen Grace, you are still detectable. So sit back and relax for me.”

Cas grunts as another wave of power washes over him and he knows that he is stuck. “What have you done with Sam.” Cas chokes out, trying to find a way to distract Cain until Dean can get to the blade.

Cain finally turns to look at Cas, but not fully. “The brother? Oh, he’s around… Somewhere.” A grin spreads across Cain’s face as sounds can be heard from the direction where Dean is. Cain turns back to look at Dean, ignoring Cas once again and Cas watches as Dean pulls himself from the wreckage of his crash. His heart clenches as he sees how battered Dean is. Cuts and scrapes cover Deans face and there is fear in his eyes.

“Dean!” Cas squeezes out before another wave of power surges over him, crushing his throat.

“Not another word, angel boy. Dean and I have a little business to take care of.” Cain rumbles as he bends down to pick up the Blade while Dean watches, helpless.

 _Cas…_ As the pain in his throat recedes, he locks eyes with Dean and sees the panic the hunter is feeling. Dean is sending a constant wave of thoughts his way as he tries to refocus on Cain, not knowing that to do. Cas tries to show that he will be ok, the Dean just needs to focus on Cain, and Dean seems to understand. Their gaze breaks as Cain finally speaks again:

“It’s been too long…”

Dean stands up, pulling out another knife from somewhere in his jacket as he does. He faces Cain and Cas can feel his determination to get the Blade back replace his fear. “Ok, you’ve had your little reunion, time to give the Blade back.”

Cain ignores Dean as he lets the power from the Blade rush through him. Even without the Mark, it seems as if he is still affected by the Blade and Cas can feel himself start to panic. He tries to focus his Grace and break free from Cain’s control now that he’s distracted, but nothing happens.

“You petty human,” Cain softly says, his voice low and dangerous. “You think you can stop me? You have another thing coming.”

Cas watches as Dean squares off against Cain and for several heartbeats, nothing happens. No one talks; no one moves.

Suddenly, the door to the barn crashes open again, and Cas can barely see Sam out of the corner of his eye as he throws a knife towards Cain.

“SAM NO!” Dean cries out as Cain flicks a finger, sending Sam flying across the room. Cas watches as his head cracks against the wall and he falls down onto the ground into an unmoving heap. Cain lunges for Dean, catching the hunter off guard.

Cas watches as the two men duel, stuck against the wall. Cain is more powerful than any of them could have ever imagined as he dances around Dean’s lunges like they are nothing. Soon, Dean is panting, and his attacks get slower and slower. Cas quickly looks over to where Sam is and sees that he is starting to come to, just as Cain starts to push Dean back in his own onslaught of attacks.

_Cas…I can’t do this…He’s too strong…Please Cas, I need you…_

Cas feels his heart break as he tries to break Cain’s grip on him. The stolen Grace burns in his veins, reminding him with every heartbeat that it is slowly diminishing. Not for the first time, he wishes he had his own Grace back. He groans as he again tries to pull himself from the wall and he feels himself start to pull slightly away.

Cain lunges again and Dean barely manages to block the attack.

“You haven’t been feeding her, have you.” Cain teases as he pulls back slightly. “At least, not recently.”

“Shut your face,” Dean pants, looking for an opening.

The two men dance around the barn again, neither of them able to find an opening to find a way to end this. Cas can feel his Grace straining as he continues to try and pull himself off of the wall, but he still has only just managed to gain control of his legs. The longer Cain and Dean fight, the less control Cain seems to have on him, but Cas knows that this is going to slowly and that Dean cannot keep this up forever.

Sam finally manages to pull himself to his feet, swaying dangerously as he tries to focus on what is happening. Cas glances his way, but cannot focus too much energy on the younger brother. He turns back to the fighting men just as Dean falls to the ground before Cain.

“You are useless,” Cain hisses. “So much for being some great hunter, descended directly from me, eh? You’re just a used, washed up excuse for a hunter now. You can’t even control the Mark, can you?”

Cas watches as Dean’s face contorts, and he can only assume Cain has turned his powers on to Dean. He gives one last yank with his Grace and finally manages to pull away from the wall, and almost collapses as his feet hit the ground.

Just as he reaches out to push Dean away from Cain, he watches at the Blade comes down. His world seems to stop as he watches the Blade pierce Dean’s chest.

“NOOO!” Sam cries out as he again has to watch Dean be stabbed right in front of him.

Cas is frozen to the ground, the only thing he can focus on is the Blade stuck fast in Dean’s chest. Dean’s eyes grow large with surprise, and he weakly grabs on to Cain’s wrist. “You were never worthy of this Mark.” Cain whispers as he grasps Dean’s arm. Cas can only watch as the Mark is transferred back to Cain and the next thing he knows, Cain is gone.

He watches as Sam runs to Dean’s side and pulls him into his lap. Sam presses his hand against Dean’s chest, trying to stop the flow of blood pouring out. “It’s going to be ok,” he repeats over and over. “We’ll fix this, everything is going to be ok.”

Cas can feel his legs moving, taking him towards the two brothers. As he reaches Dean’s side, they finally collapse beneath him and he kneels next to Dean. The hunter reaches up and grabs on to Cas’ coat, pulling him closer.

 _Take care of him, Cas._ The hunter locks eyes with the angel and Cas can feel his eyes threaten to release the tears he feels filling his eyes. Cas nods slightly, knowing Dean will understand.

Sam seems to see Cas for the first time, and he reaches for the collar of Cas’ coat. “Fix. Him.” He demands.

“Sam…” Dean whispers.

“Fix him, Cas.” Sam’s voice is low and deadly, and Cas tries his hardest to look away from the youngest Winchester.

“I-… I can’t…” he stutters, voice breaking as the tears finally spill over.

“FIX HIM RIGHT THIS FUCKING MINUTE” Sam yells at Cas, voice breaking.

“He’s telling the truth, Sam..” Dean says softly. “Knight of Hell, remember? Only way to kill us…”

“Is to stab them with the First Blade…” Cas finishes softly. 

Sam’s grip on his collar fades and his hand falls away. Cas closes his eyes, unable to face the hurt in Sam’s eyes. He jumps slightly as he feels a hand reach up and wipe away the tears that are on his cheeks. Opening his eyes, he looks down at Dean and grabs onto the hand that is still pressed against his face. “It’s ok, Sammy. We both know we can’t cheat Death forever.”

Sam’s face crumples and a sob escapes his lips. Cas locks eyes with Dean and realizes that his will be the last time he will see his hunter alive… “Dean…” he whispers.

“Don’t go getting soft on me, angel,” A small smile touches Dean’s lips and Cas leans into the hand he is still holding to his face. “You still got to find a way to stop Cain, you hear me? Both of you. Stop him, no matter the cost-” Dean breaks off as a cough racks his body, blood bubbling up between his lips.

“Dean, please…You can’t leave me…” Sam cries out.

“I know Sam, but I don’t have a choice,” Dean breaks his gaze with Cas to look up at his brother. Sam’s cheeks are wet with tears and his hands are stained red from holding on to Dean’s chest. “There’s nothing we can do this time, we both know that. I just want you to do one thing for me; both of you.” Dean looks at both Cas and Sam, locking gazes with each to make sure they are paying attention. “Find something to do that makes you happy. Please…I don’t care if it’s hunting, or settling down with a dog somewhere, just…whatever you do, be happy. Promise me that.”

“Dean I-”

“Shut it Sam,” Dean says softly. “I know you’re going to be sad, but please, give a dying man his last wish.”

Cas’ grip tightens on Dean’s hand. “I promise, Dean.” His voice is rough and thick as he talks around the lump in his throat and chest. Dean smiles at Cas before turning to look back at Sam.

“I…I’ll try Dean…” Sam squeezes out. Dean seems to take that as a good enough answer as he sighs. The three men sight in silence for a few heartbeats, but Cas jumps slightly as he feels another being enter the room.

Turning around, he sees an older gentleman dressed in a black suit making his way towards the group. His cane clicks softly on the ground each time he puts it down, even though the barn has a dirt floor. Cas can feel Sam grow tense next to him until recognition hits him and he holds on to his brother even tighter.

“No…please…not yet…” he whispers.

“I’m sorry, Sam. I always thought you would be the one I came to claim first.” The man replies, power rippling through each word. The man reaches the opposite side of Cas and bends down towards Dean. “Are you ready to go, old friend?”

Dean looks up at Death, but remains silent.

He looks back up at Sam and gives him a small smile, knowing in his heart that Sam will be ok. Sam tries his best to smile back as he holds his tears in.

Dean, satisfied, turns to look at Cas one more time. “You better come visit me, assbutt.” He whispers, his voice fading. _Cas…_

Cas’ own name fills his head as emotions pour off of the dying man next to him. _I’m sorry, for so many things that went unsaid. I wish I could go back and do it-_

Cas cuts off the thoughts of regret flooding his mind as he bends down and places a gentle kiss against Dean’s lips. Dean does not tense up and instead returns the pressure to Cas’ own lips. Cas’ free hand reaches up and grabs the side of Dean’s face as he deepens the kiss slightly, trying to put six years of emotion and love into it.

He finally pulls away, still holding one of Dean’s hands in his own. “Of course I’ll come visit you,” he replies to the earlier statement.

Dean’s eyes shine brightly and it seems to take a large effort to pull his gaze away from Cas. He turns back to Death and finally nods. Death reaches out and places a hand on Dean’s forehead and both Sam and Cas’ breath seems to catch as the feel Dean take one last breath of his own. His eyes close slowly and the green orbs are lost to them forever.

Death seems to grow older than ever as he stands up again and turns away without another word to walk away from the broken men. A strangled cry finally breaks free from Sam as he clutches Dean’s broken body against his own. Cas remains silent as he continues to clutch the hand that seems to be already growing cold in his own.

When the two men finally break free from their bubble of grief, the sun is just starting to pour light into the dusty barn. Sam raises his head and looks over at Cas. Both men have tear stained faces, with red puffy eyes. Cas notices that Sam seems to have grown older during the course of the night as the weight of his life settles even more heavily on his shoulders. Cas sighs and squeezes the hand of his hunter one last time before standing. He holds out a hand for Sam and waits for the man to take hold of it. With a grunt, he pulls the taller man into a standing position.

“What am I going to do, Cas…” Sam whispers into the stillness of the barn.

Cas looks around for a few minutes, seeming to take in the differences of the barn during the daylight. He notices the various holes and broken objects that litter the edges of the barn and runs his hand through his short hair. “We have three options it seems.” He finally replies.

Sam looks over at Cas, confusion written into the lines around his eyes.

“Option one: we go after Cain and we kill the son of a bitch. Option two: we do what we promised Dean; we find a way to be happy.” Cas rolls his head and finally settles his gaze back on Sam. He can feel the weight of the dull green eyes as the world seems to close on both men.

“What’s option three?” Sam asks after a few minutes.

“We kill the son of a bitch and join Dean afterwards.”

Cas’ words seem to float around the room, the idea behind them seeming to be too much to handle.

“Join him?” Sam finally manages to croak out.

Cas’ only reply is to nod before he bends down to grab one of Dean’s arms. He hefts the body of his friend onto its feet and looks over at Sam. “Whatever we decide to do can wait until later. I feel as though he deserves a proper Hunter’s Funeral this time though…” Cas’ voice trails off as he watches Sam’s face.

Sam’s eyes glisten with the threat of new tears, but he finally nods and walks over to take Dean’s other arm. Between the two of them, they manage to carry Dean into the field connecting to the barn and after a few hours, they have collected and built a pyre that any hunter would be proud to have. Sam ends up finding a good sized sheet that they decide to wrap Dean up in, but before Sam can actually do so, Cas stops him.

“I will see you soon, my friend.” He whispers before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a necklace. Sam immediately recognizes it as the faded bronze flashes in the afternoon light; it is necklace he gave his brother all of those years ago.

“Where did you get that?” He says. “The last time I saw that, it was being dropped into a trashcan after you told Dean it was useless…”

“I have had it since then; I knew how much it meant to him and decided to give it back to him at the appropriate time.” Cas replies as he fits the necklace around Dean’s neck, the amulet settling on his breastbone.

As the sun finally sets again, Sam and Cas stand before a blaze of fire that seems to burn brighter than fire ever should. Once the fire burns down to ashes, both men seem to decide their final action with a quick nod to each other. Without a word, they both pile into the Impala, tires screeching on the dusty road as they take off in search of a mad man with the Blade.


End file.
